In discussing the training of surgeons Campbell wrote, “In the classical training program we have taught how to perform surgery, but we have not taught how to live life as a surgeon” (2001, p. 702). How well have we taught our psychology students to live life as a psychologist? Ideally, our students will learn to […]
We are very excited to announce the upcoming Gab with the Greats virtual event which is designed for early career psychologists and students in the field of psychology. This event is jointly organized by the Early Career Psychology Domain and the Student Domain from the Society for the Advancement of Psychotherapy (Division 29 – APA). This event is taking place on Friday, August […]
“Evidence-Based” Training? Research is important in the scientific field of psychotherapy, where we like to think of ourselves as “scientist-practitioners” who provide “evidence-based practice” (Overholser, 2012). However, when it concerns our professional training, this research emphasis appears to be conveniently forgotten. Therapists tend to spend many hours of their career in professional training, not only […]
Nine days before my first internship application was due, I learned that an ex-patient of mine, Theodore (name changed for confidentiality), died by suicide. I know receiving this kind of news can never come at a good time, but this was a particularly vulnerable time for me. I was feeling insecure, questioning myself, scared about […]
The Seventh Edition of Bergin and Garfield’s Handbook for Psychotherapy and Behavior Change, edited by Michael Barkham, Wolfgang Lutz, and Louis Castonguay, and published by Wiley, is due out this summer (Amazon says September 22, 2021)! This book is considered the “lodestar” or “bible” for psychotherapists and psychotherapy researchers…it reviews the major research in the […]
Context Before psychotherapy, there often comes a phone consultation. When I ask prospective clients how they felt about prior therapy, the most common account is of a therapist whom they regarded as a kind, non-judgmental listener, but not much else. They wonder if they were properly challenged, if there could have been more guidance, or […]
Research suggests that therapist personality traits impact self-reported theoretical orientation (e.g., Ogunfowora & Drapeau, 2008). For example, studies have shown that therapists who report having a psychodynamic orientation generally report being higher in creativity, intuition, imagination, individualism, anxiety, and introversion (Arthur, 2001). In contrast, Arthur’s (2001) research showed that cognitive-behavioral therapists were more conventional, rational, […]
My name is Erin, and I am working towards my doctorate degree in counseling psychology. I was drawn to this field because of my interest in the complex identities that shape the human experience. Each identity we hold creates a unique perspective through which we view the world. In some aspects, our identities are easily […]